May 2008

Dear Friends,

It has been some time since I’ve published an update on my homepage. I know that many of you recently received a newsletter in the post - so I’ll try not to be too repetitive here.

It has been an exciting evening. I, along with a number of others from Cairde in Ringsend, attended a baptism at a church that is just up the road from the community centre where we meet. A young man named Mark, who is the brother of one of our men at Cairde, has long struggled with addiction. We have prayed for him many times, and he has come to our service occasionally. A couple weeks ago he gave His life to Christ, and through the ministry of this other church (and the many prayers of his brother and others) he is clean and tonight was baptized. It was a night for rejoicing. One of my dad’s favorite songs has been running through my head - “But His favorite song of all is the song of the redeemed, when lost sinners now made clean lift their voices loud and strong, when those purchased by His blood sing to Him a song of love - there’s no song He’d rather hear, there’s none sweeter to His ear. That’s His favorite song of all.”

Next week it will be a year since I moved to Greystones. As I sit in this house writing to you, I am amazed at the passage of time, and how my life here is a direct answer to your prayers. I have so often asked you to pray for my relationships in this community - that God would direct me to the right people, and establish relationships here. In one week God confirmed to me how He is faithfully working this out in me - really since October, when I completed my time in Ringsend.

On April 18th I flew to California to meet my newest nephew, and see another niece and nephew, Deanna and Zach, graduate from Azusa Pacific University. I knew that I would be gone 18 days, and there was a lot to do to prepare to leave for that period of time (especially since I have a cat!). I arranged with one family in the community to have their teenage daughter come in to mind the cat and water the plants in the back while I was away. My neighbor to one side also had a key, so that she could fill in if there was ever a problem. My six year old neighbor to the other side agreed to water the plants by my front door (coming by several days in a row before I left to get the instructions just right). Several people offered to help me get to the airport, or home from the airport (or to the bus in Dublin that would take me to the airport - which to everyone’s surprise began service to Greystones the same week that I left- making it quite easy for me to get to the airport!). Two women from the Knitting and Stitching group that I attend had made small gifts for my new nephew. The day that I left I received several texts wishing me well, and asking if the bus to the airport was really working (I was the “test case” - so exciting)! I left for California with my heart full of these evidences of community and friendship formed.

A few days before I left for California, while at the Knitting and Stitching group, I had an interesting conversation with a woman who asked for more information about what I am doing here. She is Jewish, and wanted to know if we would only study the New Testament in our church. I told her that we would also study the Old Testament, and that so much of what we read in the NT has its basis in the prophecies and precepts laid down in the OT- the two must be studied in conversation with each other. She told me that a friend of her young son had left a Bible at their house, and she had read some of the stories from the Old Testament to him. She thought that they were beautiful. I agreed. I told her that I had just been reading through Exodus and how much I love it that God “spoke to Moses as a man speaks to His friend” and promises to go with Him on the journey before Him because He knows Moses and “calls him by name”. I love the stories of God’s faithfulness. This was the first real conversation I’ve had with this woman. I look forward to more.

A new family will be joining us in June. The Howells have bought their tickets and will arrive on June 20th. Please continue to pray for us as we make arrangements for their arrival, and in the days ahead that God would use us together for His glory.

Thank you, thank you - for your prayers for me.

His/Yours,

Kathi Perry
http://homepage.mac.com/kathiperry
kathiperry@iol.ie
New Address:
72 Charlesland Wood
Greystones, County Wicklow
Ireland

(See 'Missionaries' for information on other EFM missionary personnel.)